


The Lies We Tell

by PrincessEmmaOfArendelle



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-15 23:08:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28946433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincessEmmaOfArendelle/pseuds/PrincessEmmaOfArendelle
Summary: I just want to apologize in advance. This isn't a happy story, and there is no magical fix. Regina and Emma get into a fight, and things escalate. I suggest listening to "Love the Way You Lie" by Eminem and Rihana.
Relationships: Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan
Kudos: 13





	The Lies We Tell

Hello, lovelies.

This is going to be my first submission on Archive of Our Own, and I hope you like it. I am currently in college for my bachelor’s program. Well, while doing my assignments, I was listening to music. This one-shot has been inspired by too much caffeine, a lack of sleep, and “Love the Way You Lie,” by Eminem and Rihanna.

~ PrincessEmma of Arendelle

The Lies We Tell, a One-Shot.

What happens when we reach an impasse in our relationships? Is it really possible to wake up one day, and realize that you are no longer in love with the sleeping form next to you? If you allowed yourself to reflect on things, you would actually realize that maybe you were never in love. There is a fine line between being in love and lusting after someone. We try and fool ourselves into thinking the fabled dreams in our mind could be a reality. We ignore the toxicity of our surroundings in favor of the happily ever after we so desperately crave. Who knows? Maybe deep down we are all psychopaths, and that we enjoy the pain we are dealt. We ignore the pain for the brief moments of pure bliss when we should be protecting ourselves.

The Evil Queen was telling herself these things and more as she stood in the shadows. Their son, and the town, would be devastated in the beginning, but they would be okay in the end. The events that transpired last night were nothing new to the mayor, but they would be the last time. Cora, Leopold, and even Rumple…there were few good moments peppered with fights and bruises. Regina had never been surprised by those horrible moments, but last night stopped her in her tracks. Emma was supposed to be the good one, and yet, she caused the most damage. The brunette raised a shaking hand to her cheek and winced as she touched the fading mark. She did not need a mirror to see the mottled bruise, the red fingerprints, and the dead look in her eyes. Her perception had been broken, reality had come rushing back, and there was no going back. Everything would burn, and their once happy dreams would rise in smoke. 

*** Lies We Tell ***

Flashback to the night before…

Regina found the situation to be slightly comical, almost as an afterthought. She had been using magic her whole life, and Emma was new to using her powers. The wall sconces now lay shattered on the ground. They had been the first victim to Emma’s outburst. This would not end well if magic came into play. Everything would burn around them before they gave in and apologized.

The brunette let out a chuckle without realizing it, and before either of them could do anything to stop this moment, she felt the stinging sensation across her face. Regina froze in her tracks, and loathe though she was to admit, she did nothing. 

“Do you really think this is funny, Madame Mayor? We are supposed to be a team. You are supposed to be trust me, Regina. Instead, it is like nothing has changed. You went headfirst into a battle without telling me anything. You nearly died, or have you already forgotten the flaming sword in your chest? Henry. My god, Henry would have died if he had been a second sooner coming to help you. I would have been there at your side. Our family and friends would have been there. All you had to do was ask, but your pride, or maybe your fears, were too great.”

Each new, tragically honest point was accompanied by a slap. Any sane person would have left after the first hit, but her sanity had long since fled the scene. Instead, she just stood there, frozen in time. The final remark faded into silence after the hardest, and final, slap. As the silence grew around them, it was like both of them had awoken from a dazed trance. It was like the light in the room was being sucked into some void. The Evil Queen took advantage of their weakened mental state and pushed her way to the surface. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Emma was slowly losing it. Her actions lay as visual evidence in front of her, and it was too much. One felt more in control, and one was letting the guilt and shame manifest around her. 

“Oh, my…Regina, I didn’t…You were…what have I done?” Emma was stuttering, and with each fumbled sentence, the more chaotic it became around them. The shattered pieces of glass flew off the floor and formed a cyclone around them. A guttural sound came from the blonde, and the books started flying off the shelves as the fireplace exploded in a ball of light. 

Just as sudden as the tornado of emotions and guilt formed, it was gone. An eerie silence surrounded them, and they just stared at the other one. At that moment, they both knew the truth. There was no going back, there was no apologizing for this one. The relationship they had fought so hard for was gone, and only one question remained, unspoken. What would be the price of this horrid night? 

Ending the deafening silence, Regina spoke. Her voice was low and barely audible, but the intent was clear. This was not a time to push her. She was done with everything and would stop at no lengths to protect herself.

“Get. Out.” They were two words that carried a heavyweight, and Emma scrambled for the door. She should have stayed and tried to mend things, but her guilt drove her away. Regina could hear the bug rev to life, and as she heard it leaving her driveway, she finally broke down. Sinking to the ground, she wrapped herself in a small ball in the middle of her personal ground zero. The Queen just sat there, numbly staring at nothing as the ironic golden rays of sunrise started to fill the sky.

End of flashback…

Morning came far quicker than anyone expected, and Regina tried enjoying the final morning, but her thoughts kept returning to last night. She knew that Henry had his grandparents. He would be hurt, but he would far better without his mothers. What kind of examples were they, anyway? At some point, she had risen from the hard floors during the night and prepared for the coming day. At some point, she separated the two halves that made her a whole person. Her first real act had been cleaning the mess from the night before, and she chose to do so without magic. Well, mostly without magic. It was almost like she was still putting off the inevitable. During her cleaning and preparations, random memories flitted through her mind, without her permission. She did not want to remember the good times, the soft times, the rare moments of pure happiness…There had been a picture that she placed in her pocket when she found it. Emma called it a selfie, and Regina had called it utter silliness. Why would you want to take a picture of yourself instead of living in the moment? 

Hearing the front door open, it was not long before Regina could feel her spell taking action. The moment Emma closed the door behind her, they were locked inside. No one would be leaving the place, but no one could enter either. Well, Zelena could, if she really wanted, but she did not see her sister to be the rescuing kind. Besides, she left explicit instructions on the witch’s voicemail. She was not to interfere. No one would be interfering. 

Looking up, Regina was greeted by a truly sad sight. Emma, her Emma, stood there looking forlorn and lost, but…hopeful. Oh, this would crush her. There was no going back, and they both knew it. However, only the mayor had the strength to end things. 

“I’m sorry, Emma. I really am.” With those words, Regina rose her hand and watched, emotionless, as the blonde fell onto the floor. She hated making the savior comatose for this next part, but she considered it a blessing. She would not be doing the same for herself. Crossing the parlor, the brunette picked up the sleeping body of her ex-lover. Regina cradled Emma close as she went upstairs to the bedroom. Placing her on the carefully made bed, she returned to the top of the stairs. Looking down at her soon to be former home, she can feel something fluttering inside. This was the only way, and everyone would soon that she had done what was best. Raising her hand once more, hot and righteous flames flew out of her hand. The fire spread quickly and effectively. Everything was being destroyed. The golden flames were dancing their way up, and she knew that it was finally too late. No one would be saving Emma or Regina. It would be called a murder/suicide, and there would be a grand funeral. They would be remembered as tragic lovers, and mothers that were gone too soon.

Returning to the bedroom, she went straight to the floor-length mirror. Her reflection glared at her, well, half-glared. There was a resigned sadness lining the edges of the glance.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that, Gina. You know that this would have only been the beginning. She will say she is sorry, but she is not. It always ends this way, but it ends today. You will see. This really is for the best.” Pausing, Regina took a deep breath. “Well, I guess we should be reunited again, hm? You might have just enough time to say good-bye,” Glancing back at the bed, she could see the flames getting closer from down the hall, “I would hurry though. The end is almost here.”

Stretching her right arm towards the mirror, the surface glowed as the reflection was pulled from its temporary prison. Regina was filled with a million emotions as she was fully rejoined with her body. She had been stunned enough last night that the Queen inside of her had been able to force the good part out of their body and into the mirror. She had been furious and frightened, but now she was resigned. The Queen had thought about everything and had left nothing to chance. The air was getting thicker with the stench of smoke and burnt paper. Not bothering to even slip out of her shoes, she merely crawled into the empty space next to Emma.

Caressing the blonde’s cheek, Regina placed a kiss on her forehead. 

“Emma, darling. I know you cannot open your eyes and talk to me, but I know you can hear me. I refuse to believe that you are fully gone already.” She let out a sigh, before continuing. “I need you to know that I forgive you for last night. You might have overreacted, but it’s because you were scared. You were right to be scared. I was stupid and going back to my old ways, and it put Henry in danger. I don’t know if reincarnation is a thing, but if it is, I hope we find each other again. The odds were stacked against us in this life, but maybe we can find happiness in the next. There will be no more hidden things and no more lies. We won’t lie to other people, each other, and we especially won’t lie to ourselves.”   
One final thought crossed her mind as Regina closed her eyes…at least, she is the last thing that I see.


End file.
